Are you what they say you are?
by SweetbunPura
Summary: Bounty Hunter Akira has been commissioned by Lord Kamoshida to track down mass murderer, Ryuji Sakamoto, and bring him back alive. During the trip back, Akira starts to wonder if Ryuji is really the murderer the lord makes him out to be.
1. Chapter 1

_"I have a bounty for you."_

 _"Such a high price for a man. Am I allowed to ask why the high amount?"_

 _"He... slaughtered my servants and I caught him in the act. He ran away after that and I have no idea where he is."_

 _"So you're paying me to go find him?"_

 _"Aren't you the most successful bounty hunter this side of the seven kingdoms?"_

 _"Stroking my ego?"_

 _"Do this for me and you get to keep his bounty. All of his bounty."_

 _"... You have a deal."_

* * *

"I can't believe you took on something like this."

Akira looked down to the white footed panther running along beside him and his horse. "It was an impressive amount."

"Did you not hear what he said? He slaughtered all of his servants in one night. One night!"

"Morgana, please. It's not like you to reject a bounty."

"I like living Akira!"

Akira shook his head and looked back at the slowly retreating shapes of Kamoshida's kingdom. To put a bounty on a man like Sakamoto is understandable, but to make it that high? Surely, other hunters have attempted to take the bounty for themselves. That price could cause even a farmer to make an attempt at it, yet there had been no record of a successful catch. Akira sighed and directed his gaze toward towards the midnight forest that quickly approached. The black-haired hunter pulled back on the reins of the stallion, who reared back and stood still, Morgana came to a stop besides them.

"We'll stop here for tonight. I'm not traveling into the Midnight Forest at night. I don't want to fight Werewolves."

"Fine by me." Morgana stretched before laying on the ground.

Akira sat beside him and made a fire pit; the stallion lay nearby, already asleep.

"You over worked Arsene." Morgana said.

"I know. I won't push him so hard come tomorrow." Akira reached into his pocket and unfolded the bounty paper.

 _Ryuji Sakamoto_

 _Dead or Alive_

 _Reward: 5 million worth in gold and jewels_

Akira's eyes fell to the picture they used for him. Flatten, black, short hair with brown eyes that felt like they were staring deep into the hunter's soul. The hair framed the handsome face it was attached to and Akira started to wonder if Sakamoto was really the mass murderer Kamoshida made him out to be. He pocketed the bounty, snuffed out the fire, and laid down to sleep. Morning brought the trio to the outskirts of Madarame's Kingdom, Akira watched as various people and creatures roamed the beautiful area in high suits and gowns. He and Morgana tended to avoid the beautiful kingdom, they seeked anything worth creating and destroyed anything that wasn't beautiful enough like them. Akira was happy never to enter the Musuem Kingdom ever again, ever since he had convinced Yusuke to leave the terrible place.

The trek through the various kingdom took days, each town that Morgana and Akira visited yielded the same results. No one had heard or seen of Ryuji Sakamoto and as the days went by, Akira felt his confidence waver in return. Eventually, the edge of a port village came into view and Morgana let out a happy sounding purr as he breathed in the smell of fish. The black haired man urged Akira to spur Arsene faster, fueled by the images of eating various fish. The hunter shook his head and urged the black stallion into gallop, passing a small house on the outskirts in the process. Akira slowed the horse to a stop and leapt off the saddle, directing the stallion around the village as he looked for an inn.

Morgana jumped off and transformed, stretching out his weary arms as he turned to follow the hunter. Akira looked back at the werecat, watching as the fluffy haired male straightened out his golden and black waistcoat, fixed his silver and red sash, and brushed invisible dust off his black pants and dark blue boots. Morgana's sheathed scimitar bounced off his leg, red, black and silver handle glistening in the sun, as he walked over to where Akira stood. Most of the villagers had taken note of the two black haired newcomers as the walked towards the inn.

Akira handed Arsene's reins to the werecat. "Go and get a room for us. I'm going to look around and see if any recognizes Sakamoto's bounty."

Morgana look at him, disappointment clearing showing in his bright blue eyes. "But my fish..."

"I'll buy some for you later."

"Including fatty tuna?"

"Including fatty tuna."

Morgana smiled, showing off his set of sharpen canines and lead Arsene to the inn. Akira stuffed his hands in his pockets and casually walked towards the port, perhaps some sailors or fishermen had seen Sakamoto. Akira pulled out the bounty poster and approached an elderly fisherman.

"Have you seen this man?"

The elder stared at the picture and rubbed at his gray beard. "Can't say that I have. What's he in for?"

"Well-"

"Hey, Old man Floe! Gotta net full of Dragon Trout for you!"

Akira and the old man directed their attention towards the approaching white and dark green hooded vest wearing man. The hooded man was carrying two sets of full and dripping wooden boxes and had a net full of the thick scaled fish tied to his hip. The man set down the boxes and untied the net and Akira took the time to fully take in the mysterious man. Dark gray sailor pants clung loosely to thin hips with only a silver and golden dragon skin belt holding it up. Long black wristbands and black armbands clung to the man's muscular arms as he reached up to pull the hood off his head. Akira's eyes snapped to the blond hair of the man and the small scar on his cheek. Warm brown eyes greeted him as the man turned to look at him and Akira felt that the eyes were staring deep into his soul.

"Why 'ello there, Kidd. Fish swimmin' good today?"

Brown eyes snapped back to the old fisherman. "Yeah. They were practically jumpin' into my boat!"

"Now, son, how much I owe you for the fish?"

"It's free, old man."

"Well that ain't right. You went to all that trouble to get them for me so I at least owe you somethin'."

Kidd rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, Akira felt his stomach tighten at the sound.

"Whatever you think is best."

Floe reached into the worn satchel at his hip and pulled out fifteen gold marks and ten silver marks before putting them in Kidd's outstretched hand.

"Thanks again, Kidd!"

"No problem, Old man."

Akira watched as the blond pocketed the money, picked up the crates, and walked further into the market place.

"Now what were we talking about, sonny?"

Akira directed his attention back to Floe. "Uh..." He pocked the bounty. "Who's Kidd?"

"The Innkeeper found him hobbling his way into town. He looked mighty beaten up, clothes were torn and he was bleeding somethin' fierce and his left leg was bent outta shape. He collapsed before she could get to him and the village elders decided to nurse him back to health. He got terribly sick at the start and almost attacked one of the elder's in a feverish haze, yet they continued to help him. He's been here for roughly a year after that, keeps himself busy with fishin' and whatnot.

"He lives on the outskirts of town despite Tomoe tellin' him he could stay at the inn." The fisherman rubbed at his beard. "An odd one he is though. Every time we ask him about where he's from, he clams up. We eventually learn to stop askin'."

Akira looked in the directed Kidd had gone, steel gray eyes trying to catch a hint of yellow through the crowd.

"Now, sonny."

The hunter directed his attention back to the elder.

"Why are you askin' about him?"

"Just curious is all." Akira lied somewhat. "He looks like someone I know."


	2. Chapter 2

"We finally have a lead." Akira said upon opening the door to the rented room.

He paused in the doorway, taking in the lighting orbs that floated slowly above the pair of wool covered beds. Thick set red-orange colored wood decorated the interior layout of the room while various pictures of sunests, snowfall, and forests hung off the walls. Looking to his left, Akira could see the bathroom, marbled slabs of red-orange lined the wall. A large white marble tub sat in the center of the fairly large restroom. Above the tub hung Morgana's waistcoat and from the fog on the mirror, Akira could tell that the werecat had bathed. The hunter made a mental note to do the same as Morgana spoke up.

"Oh? What would that be?"

Akira threw a couple of bought, packed fish on the werecat's bed. Morgana completely abandoned polishing his sword and sank his fangs into one of the airborn fish. The hunter sat down in one of the chairs and ran his fingers through his hair.

"There might be a survivor of the Castle Massacre."

"Hmm?" Morgana swallowed the remains of his fish. "How do you know?"

"There's someone in the village. His name is Kidd and according to one of the people I talked to, he refuses to talk about his past. He's been here for a year."

"So?" Morgana threw away the bones from the rest of the fish. "That could mean anything."

"I know, but I have to at least ask."

The werecat sighed and flopped down on the bed. "So you're taking a gamble?"

"Yeah."

"...Well I trust your judgement, Joker."

* * *

Akira walked up the steps to the small gray brick cottage and knocked heavily on the fine oak door. He waited a few seconds and took a look around. Various plants of shapes and sized stretched around and encased the small house, giving it a natural camouflage from any unwanted eyes. Akira probably would've missed it, if not for the directions from the innkeeper. Kidd had yet to answer the door, so the hunter knocked again, louder this time. He stuffed his hands in his pockets just as a muffled thud could be heard from inside the cottage.

Akira listened to the sound of rushing footsteps approaching as the door was flung open. Kidd stood in the doorway, bare chest rapidly rising and falling from his run.

"Did I wake you?"

"Nah." Kidd frowned slightly as his brown eyes focused on the hunter. "Wait... You're that guy from earlier. What's up?"

"I've got something to ask you. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Huh? Oh! Not at all." Kidd stepped aside and Akira walked into the cottage.

The small house was quaint, warm and simple. There wasn't really anything in the way of decorations from what Akira could see until he turned the corner into the living room. Apart from the various amounts of birch tree furniture, bones of fish the man had caught hung all around the room. Akira approached one of the bones and looked at the picture connected to the plaque along with the name of the fish. _Harlen Dragon Quake_ the name plate read and the hunter's steel gray eyes widened up seeing the name. His eyes snapped to the picture of Kidd smiling and holding up the head of the defeated monstrous titan fish, besides the blond stood Floe and the Innkeeper.

"You caught and killed a Dragon Quake?" Akira asked, still staring at the massive size of the bones and sharp toothed head.

"Yeah!" Kidd's voice rang our from a different room. "The asshole was a bitch to kill. It was terrorizin' the village for years before I killed it. The meat's pretty tasty if you drench the sucker in honey cinnamon wine."

"Hmm."

Akira looked around for anything else that wasn't fish related and was surprised to see how barren the rest of the cottage was. Apparently, Kidd didn't need much in the way of luxury and need or wants.

"So, you wanted to ask me somethin'?"

Akira jumped slightly and turned to see Kidd sitting down in one of the chairs, his white and dark green hooded vest was on and a pair of drinks were set on the table.

The hunter sat on the couch and took a drink. "Forgive me if I bring up something foul, Kidd."

"What?"

"I heard from Floe that you stumbled into the Village a year ago."

"Yeah. And?"

Akira had to bit his tongue so that he didn't correct the blond's rude way of speaking "A year ago, a nightly massacre of servants occurred in the Castle Kingdom cause by Ryuji Sakamoto. I was commissioned by Lord Kamoshida to find him and bring him back alive and I believe-"

The hunter turned his gaze on the man who sat frozen in his seat, white knuckled grip on the arm rests. Akira took in the blond's ridged form before honing in on widen brown eyes. There wasn't a hint of fear in the chocolate colored orbs but rather a fight or flight response.

"I believe..."

Brown eyes snapped to steel ones and Akira felt them stare deep into his soul. Something dawned on the hunter and he mentally slapped himself for not noticing earlier.

"I believe you're Ryuji Sakamoto."

The effect was immediate and Ki-Sakamoto was up in a flash, back flipping over the chair just as Akira threw his dagger at him. The hunter pulled the weapon free from the chair as the blond bolted out of the house. Akira quickly followed after him, just barely managing to pull his other dagger out of the hidden sheath to block the downward force of the chronium made warhammer coming at his face. The shaggy haired man hit the ground hard, arms straining against Sakamoto's strength as the blond continued to push down.

"I ain't going back!" He yells.

"Too afraid to meet the gallows?" Akira teased as he looked for an opening.

"That ain't it! Of course that piece of shit doesn't tell you the actual truth!"

Akira throws both of his legs upwards, dislodging the warhammer and flinging it skyward. Sakamoto quickly jumps back, narrowly avoiding a slash from one of the daggers. The blond grabs the still airborne hammer and rushes towards the hunter, bringing down the spiked head of the mallet on where Akira was. The black-haired man rolls away and flings one of his weapons, which Sakamoto knocks away swiftly.

"What do you mean by actual truth?" Akira askes, hoping to distract Sakamoto long enough to switch settings on his other dagger.

He gets a different type of reaction as the blond's body freezes and his grip on the silver colored warhammer falters slightly. Brown eyes gaze over and his body hunches slightly, Akira knows he must've triggered a dark memory for the blond.

"I... You don't wanna kn-"

Akira rushes forward and tackles Sakamoto to the ground, the two roll for a few seconds until Akira's able to pin the blond man down.

"You asshole!" Sakamoto snaps, showing off slowly sharpening canines.

Akira makes a noise of surprise and looses his grip slightly, Sakamoto throws him off and makes a grab for his weapon. The blond slips the hammer onto his back and takes off in a run towards the village. Akira picks up his discarded dagger and follows after. He catches up, only to find Sakamoto leaning up against a tree with his head bowed and warhammer attached to his back. Akira approaches him slowly, daggers still out in case the blond has any fight left in him.

"I'll-I'll go with you."

Akira stops a few feet from the man. "What?"

"Just promise me that... they won't get hurt in any way."

The hunter looks from him over to the village below. "I promise."

Sakamoto rubs the back of his head and hold out his arm. Akira sheaths his daggers and pulls out a pair of golden bracelets from the sack at his hip. He slips one of the bracelets onto the blond's arm and watches as it locks around the wristband, glowing green symbols appeared on the band. Akira puts the other one onto his wrist and backs away from the blond, Sakamoto follows him without a word and the pair make their back to the village. Sakamoto shoves his arms into his pants pockets, making sure that the bracelet is hidden from the residents. Akira leads him to the inn, where the blond has a small chat with the Innkeeper before follwing the hunter to his room.

"Hey, how did-" Morgana pauses upon seeing the blond trailing behind Akira. "...You actually found him!?"

"Keep your voice down, Morgana." Akira closes the door behind them and Sakamoto dumps his hammer on the floor before slumping down into one of the chairs.

"So, what next?" He mutters.

"First," Morgana answers, "You take a shower, cause you stink something fierce! Then tomorrow, we're leaving."

"You stink too, you dumb cat!" Sakamoto snaps.

"I'm not a cat and I smell better than you!"

"Hey!" Akira's yelling snaps Morgana and Sakamoto out of their argument. "Sakamoto, go ahead and bathe. Morgana, go and wash his clothes."

Both men open up their mouths to try and retort only to snap it shut once Akira levels a glare at both of them. Sakamoto strips quickly and makes a beeline for the bathroom and Morgana picks up the discarded clothes and belts out the door. Akira sighs and leans against the wall, listening to the sound of running water before it stops.

"Hey, Sakamoto."

No answer.

"Saka-"

"Ryuji."

Akira almost misses the muffled response. "What?"

"Call me Ryuji."

Ryuji... I'm sorry for bringing up your past earlier during the fight. It was a dirty move."

"Hell yeah it was."

Akira rubbed at the back of his neck. "I-"

"How did you know it was me?"

"What? Oh. Uh... Your eyes."

"My eyes...?"

"Yeah." Akira coughs into his hand to hide his embarrassment.

A short laugh, "That sounds corny as hell."

Akira couldn't help but agree with him. The two stayed silent after that until Morgana came back with the blond's clothes. Afterwards, the trio had settled down for bed; although Ryuji had stayed up, staring down into the village. Morning came and Morgana and Akira had packed up their things and left the inn with Ryuji following behind.

"Leavin', Kidd?" Old man Floe greets them at the gate.

"Yeah. These guys need my help with somethin'." Ryuji lies with a smile.

"Plannin' on comin' back once you're finished? I still need my first mate."

Ryuji chuckles, "Wait for me then, alright?"

Floe lets out a wheezing laugh, "Alight. See ya, Kidd."

"See ya, Old man."

Floe waves as he walks away, Ryuji returns the wave until he's out of sight. The blond weights a few seconds before turning to Akira and Morgana.

"Time to face the gallows..."


	3. Chapter 3

"We could stop here." Morgana said, holding up the map and walking besides the slow moving stallion.

"That's too close to the city." Akira countered. "Too many bounty hunters. They'll take one look at the Containment Bracelet on Ryuji's wrist and try to take him."

Akira felt Ryuji flinch slightly behind him and turned his attention to the blond, only to be met with the back of his hooded vest. Ryuji had been quiet since they had left the port village, the man seemed to be regretting his decision, but never made a run for it. Although he couldn't, not with the other end of the bracelet on attached firmly to Akira's wrist. The fluffy haired man watched as Ryuji fiddled with the glowing accessory. Every time the blond moved his arm too far, a thin and faint green line appeared as a warning for the distance.

"Well, we got to stop somewhere. That village didn't have much in the way of supplies." Morgana said, grabbing Akira's attention once more.

Akira looked at the map, he could see the faint pencil marks the werecat had left during the years of their hunts. He could see the name of the port village and how far it sat away from the rest of the Cruiser Kingdom. Akira saw the place Morgana had suggested, it was another city, but not as big as the ones that littered the outer walls of Cruiser. He looked elsewhere, eyes snapping to Dragonfire Falls and the hot springs that sat at the bottom of the dragon infested mountains range. The falls served as the border between the Casino Kingdom and the Cruiser Kingdom as well as neutral grounds. Hardly any fighting ever happened there, out of fear that Iwai would fly down from his perch and roast the fighters alive.

"What about there?" Akira pointed to the hot springs.

"At Karyuu?!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Yeah. Iwai's awake and the place is normally empty when he's up."

"We're stayin' at some hot springs?" Ryuji asks as Morgana pockets the map.

"Is that a problem?" Akira responds.

"Nah... Can I get my own room?"

"No." Morgana answers for the black haired hunter. "Those Containment Bracelets have a range and even if they didn't, you still wouldn't get your own room. You're a criminal."

Ryuji goes back to being silent after that, Akira gave a glance at the blond man just a cry for help is heard. The hunter spurs Arsene into a full gallop and Morgana shifts into his panther form, Ryuji manages to turn around before the stallion reaches his full speed. They quickly approached an elderly couple, with a toppled wagon behind them, being surrounded by a: minotaur, chimera, and a human.

"Hand over all the goods, old man." The chimera says. "Unless you don't mind getting poisoned." The snake-head tail snapped it's jaws to emphasize.

The old man gently pushes his wife back and the pair back up. "I refuse." He says.

"Hear that, Tentarafoo?" The human looks over at the towering creature.

"Looks like you forfeited your life, old man." Tentarafoo lifted up his ax. "But look at the bright side, you get to die with your wife.

Ryuji jumped off of Arsene and slammed the four pronged side of his warhammer onto the minotaur's head, knocking Tentarafoo off balance. Morgana rushes forward and grabs the goat's horns of the chimera and flipped it on it's back. The human hardly has time to react, bringing up their cutlass just in time to block Akira's daggers coming down. Arsene guards the old couple, gray mane and tail glowing bright red and orange as a warning.

Tentarafoo turned to glare at Ryuji as he landed on the ground. "Freila, Kouga, deal with your pests. I got this one."

Morgana barely managed to get away from the snake head before being grabbed by the lion head and thrown into a nearby tree. The werecat shook his head and tried to regain his footing as Kouga approached him. The chimera rushed forwards, goat head slamming into Morgana's chest and keeping him pinned to the tree. Freila kicked Akira square in the stomach, causing the hunter to roll a few feet away and nearly avoided the second cutlass the thief had drawn. Tentarafoo stung his ax down at Ryuji, who brought his warhammer up to counter. The metal weapons collided with each other, causing a loud clanging sound to echo throughout the field.

Morgana planted his hindlegs on Kouga's chest and shoved him off, causing the creature to fall backwards. The werecat transformed into a more humanoid version and grabbed Kouga by his tail, flinging him into the tree and caused it to topple over. The two headed beast rushed forward, claws unsheathed and outstretched, as he threw his weight onto Morgana. The black and white panther held his ground and threw the beast onto the ground. He switched over to his animal form and pounced on Kouga, clawing out lumps of fur as the creature struggled under him. The snake-head tail wrapped around Morgana's leg and slammed him into the ground over and over again. Morgana dizzily switched forms to humanoid and grabbed onto the chimera's horns.

He pulled hard, causing the goat head to follow him and the tail to release its grip on the werecat's leg. The bicolored feline landed squarely on Kouga's back and continued to pull until the horns snapped off. The chimera let out a blood-curling yell as blood began flowing from the broken horns, he shook off Morgana and ran away. The werecat panted and threw the bloodied horns onto the ground, he sat on the ground and transformed into a human. His blue eyes locked onto Akira and Freila, the two humans were blocking slice after slice of their bladed weapons. Akira had the upper hand, daggers glowing an electrifying yellow as he dodged another sword swing. Freila brought one of the cutlass' down, which the hunter blocked and countered with slash of his own.

The dagger hit skin, sending wave after wave of electricity through the thief's body. Akira kicked Friela, sending them to the ground, writhing in place. Akira pocketed his daggers, knowing how long the thief would be stuck like that, and turned towards Morgana. The werecat pointed to where Ryuji and Tentarafoo were trading blow after blow. The minotaur was panting, bare skin bruised and bleeding from where Ryuji had gotten a couple of lucky hits in. Ryuji was panting as well, clothes torn and covered in blood, his brown eyes were now a bright and burning yellow as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Tentarafoo quickly swung his ax to the side, which Ryuji barely managed to block in time, and sent the blond man skidding to the side. Ryuji regains his composure and rapidly glanced around for the now missing minotaur.

"Ryuji! Above you!" Akira and Morgana yell out.

The blond manages to bring his warhammer up in time to block Tentarafoo's ax hit. The hit's strong enough to disrupt the air around them as Ryuji's arms strain against the strength of the minotaur. Akira watches as Ryuji's right leg gives out and his back hits the ground. Tentarafoo's hooved foot slams down into Ryuji's stomach and the blond's grip falters completely. Akira rushes forward and jumps on the minotaur's back, immediately putting his arms around Tentarafoo's neck in a headlock. The beast chokes and staggers back, he drops his ax and makes a grab for Akira. Ryuji gets to his feet, although he drops slightly as his right leg makes contact with with ground, and slams the warhammer square into the creature's stomach.

Akira jumps off and lands next to Ryuji as Tentarafoo lands a good distance away. The blond plants his hammer down and leans heavily on it, face scrunching in pain. Akira gives him a concerned look just as Tentarafoo struggles to get to his feet. He takes one look and Akira and Ryuji before grabbing the unconscious Freila and leaving. Morgana gets to his feet and joins the other two.

"What happened to your leg?" Morgana asks.

"Straight to the point as always, Morgana." Akira responds with a shake of his head.

"Old accident." Ryuji's tone makes it know that that's all he's going to say on the matter.

"Thank you so much!" The old man yelled as Arsene walked over to Akira. "How can we ever repay you?"

"You can point us in the direction of Karyuu." Morgana replied as Ryuji limped over to the toppled wagon.

Akira watched as the blond flipped the caravan over and started putting back the spilt items. The old woman walk over to help him, but Ryuji waved her off with a smile as he finished putting everything back. Akira frowned heavily at the action, if he was a mass murderer then why would he do something like that?

"Karyuu? My wife and I own it."

"Really?"

"We'll let you stay for free. How does that sound?"

"We'll take it!" Morgana exclaimed.

They managed to nab the roaming horses and reattach them to the wagon. Just as they were about to set off, Akira waved over Ryuji, who limped over in confusion.

"Get on." He patted the saddle.

"You're not getting on?"

Akira shook his head. "You need it more than I do."

Ryuji made a noise of surprise and, with some help from Akira, got on the back of Arsene. The black-haired hunter held the reins as the started their walk to their destination. Akira kept glancing over to the blond as he massaged his leg, grumbling under his breath as he did so.

"Shitty leg... gave out at the worst time."

Soon the roof of the hot springs came into view as Akira felt the heat from Dragonfire Falls hit him full force. He shrugged off his black trench coat, leaving him in his gray collared shirt, and hung it over Arsene's neck. The couple unlocked the door to the springs and ushered their savors inside after they unloaded the wagon and put the horses away. The elders pointed to where the springs were and gave Akira the room key. Morgana made a beeline for the heated water, complaining about how much pain he was in. Akira followed after with Ryuji slowly tagging along.

"Ah." Morgana groaned out in pleasure as he sank into the water after rinsing himself off. "This feels _so_ good!"

Akira settled next to Morgana and let out a deep sigh as the heat unwound his tense muscles. Steel gray eyes flicked over to were Ryuji sat, back to them as he stared up at the mountains. Morgana let out a small, faint gasp as he looked at the condition of the blond's back. Akira's eyes widened as he caught sight of the wounds. Various amounts of scars, ranging from elevated ones to burn marks, littered Ryuji's upper back in mass amounts. Akira looked closer, seeing the faint whip marks mixed in with the burned ones. He even saw a couple of claw marks mixed in and Akira had to look away, feeling sick to his stomach upon seeing the scars. Even Morgana looked away, blue eyes locking onto Akira's gray ones. The werecat seemed to be thinking the same question as him.

 _'What happened to him?'_


	4. Chapter 4

Akira watched as Ryuji ducked his head further under his hood, shadowed brown eyes snapping from building to building. The bright light and sounds of the Casino Kingdom seemed to irritate the blond as Akira led Arsene through the streets. Once the capital city had come into view, Akira had immediately thrown Ryuji's hood up and told him to keep it up until they left the city. Morgana eyes's gleamed as he took in the city, bright blue eyes flickering to and fro. Ryuji watched the werecat with a small hint of annoyance in his chocolate gaze.

"Why is he so excited?"

"We don't come here often." explained Akira as he worked on getting the Containment Bracelet off. "Today's special because I need to deliver something to Queen Sae."

"You know the queen?"

"Yeah, I met her through her sister." The hunter handed the bracelet and Arsene's reins to Morgana. "You two explore around. I don't want to stay here longer than I have to."

Akira turned to leave, only managing to catch the tail end of the pair's conversation.

"...go shopping?"

"...is a little hot."

Akira made fast tracks to the Casino Palace and walked into the lobby of the bright palace. The black-haired looked around the castle, taking in the various tables filled with every sort of creature imaginable. The high deep blue and silver ceiling practically glowed under the warm light of the lightning orbs. Akira looked down at the multicolored carpeted floor as he navigated the lobby, making sure not to step on any wayward tails. The sounds of slot machines, cheering, and chips filled the hunter's ears as he pushed his way past the crowd. He ducked his head as a pair of griffons flew up to one of the skyward tables. Akira pulled a crest from his bag and held it up to the pair of basilisk guards by the warp in the back.

The both lowered their heads to get at the insignia before moving their bodies out of the warpway, allowing Akira to access the pad with no issue. The hunter nodded his thanks to the large reptiles stepping into the warpway and teleporting up into the Throne room. Sae sat in her chair, back turned to Akira, as she talked to someone. The hunter cleared his throat, making his presence know to the two in the room.

"Kurusu." Sae said, turning her chair around and getting up to greet the hunter. "It's nice to see you again."

The mystery person got up and shook themselves, causing their large dark gray wings to open slightly. Akira watched as the figure turned to face him and took in the person's look. The humanoid dragon wore a long gray coat with a peace symbol on it, blue jeans, and dark boots. Gray scales decorate parts of the dragon's chest and face, a gecko tattoo sits in the far left side of their neck. Pulled back off white horns peck out from underneath short gray hair.

"Hey, kid, been a while, hasn't it?"

Akira blinks before it dawns on him. "Iwai?"

"Already forgotten me?" Iwai smirks.

"No. I just haven't seen you in your humanoid form before."

Iwai lets out a chuckle as Sae speaks. "What brings you to my kingdom, Kurusu?"

"I'm delivering a bounty to Castle Kingdom." Akira answers as he digs around in his bag.

Sae seems surprised. "You found Sakamoto?"

"Yeah, he was hiding out in a port village near the edge of Cruiser Kingdom. None of the villagers knew his actual name." Akira handed the gift over to the queen.

"I'd imagine not." The shapeshifter said and opened the gift. "Chilled Chocolates from Makoto..." Sae smiled softly, "She remembers."

"You going back to Pyramid after this, kid?" Iwai's voice grabs Akira's attention.

"Yeah, after I get back to Morgana and Ryuji."

Iwai opens his wings. "I'll give you ride."

"Don't you have to be getting back to Dragonfire Falls and Kaoru?" The hunter asks.

The dragon waves him off with his wing. "He'll be fine for a few more hours. What do you say?"

"Well-" Akira jumped as his communicator crystal went off. "I told him that this is for emergencies only." He pulled out the shining red crystal. "What's wrong, Mona?"

"Bounty hunters!" Came the werecat's frantic voice. "Those thieves we beat up earlier are here and they called Ryuji out in the middle of a Hunter's Tavern!" A crash could be heard on the other line. "Shit. We need help, Joker, Ryuji and I are out maned here and-" The sound of a body hitting the ground. "Ryuji! Damnit! I need to go! Hey assholes let go of him!"

"Mona!" The glowing comes to an abrupt stop the line cuts off. "Dammit!" Akira pockets the crystal and bolts for the warp pad. "I'm sorry I had to cut my visit short, Sae, but I'm needed."

The hunter runs through the crowd as he tries to find Morgana and Ryuji. People run pass in an effort to get away from the fighting bounty hunters. Akira reaches the square just in time to see Morgana get thrown into the silver marble fountain in the center. The werecat emerges from the water with a growl and sweeps the wet bangs out of his face.

"We have you been?!" Morgana asks, upon spotting Akira.

"The crowd was hard to get through." The black-haired hunter helps his companion out of the water. "Where's Ryuji?"

"Right here, Joker." A deep voice sounds behind the pair.

Both of them turn to see Ryuji being suspended off the ground, both arms held up in a bone crushing grip, by an ogre. The creature stood taller than the pair combined, its pale green skin almost looked yellow in the light. The ogre wore a fur vest, worn brown shorts with a belt covered in bones, and a set down dark brown laced up boots. He held Ryuji's hammer in his other hand, the head of the weapon was caved in tremendously and in need of desperate repair. Next to the ogre stood the minotaur from the other day, the wound Ryuji had left on Tentarafoo had blossomed into a scar. Freila and Kouga stood off to the side, the chimera was glaring daggers at Morgana while the human made a slicing motion across their throat as they stared at Akira. Ryuji wiggled around in the ogre's grip, the beast tighten his hold and the blond let out a sound of discomfort.

"Let him go." Akira demanded.

"Not a chance, Joker. He's our bounty now, right Megidolaon?" Tentarafoo directed his eyes at the ogre.

"Right. You can have him back after we're done." Megidolaon increased the pressure of his hold and Ryuji bit back a sound of pain. "Kamoshida would pay any price to get Sakamoto back."

"We don't have to bring him to Kamoshida." The minotaur walked over and stood next to the dangling blond. "The beast still owes me a scar or two."

Ryuji lets out an inhuman growl and leans away as Tentarafoo reaches a hand out. Akira acts quickly and throws his dagger hard enough for the blade to go through the minotaur's hand. Tentarafoo yells out in pain and Morgana looks at Akira in surprise.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know." Akira looks down at his hand. "It was instinctive..."

"What?"

"I... I..." The hunter pulls out his other dagger just as Tentarafoo throws the bladed weapon to the ground. _'...Wanted to protect him.'_

"You fuck!" The minotaur yells out and charged at the bounty hunters.

Morgana swiftly moved as Akira braced himself for impact, only for Tentarafoo to get pinned to the ground under the weight of Iwai's sudden descend. Morgana quietly approached Megidolaon and picked up Akira's discarded dagger. The rest of the group were too focused on Iwai to notice Morgana sneaking up. Megidolaon let you pained noise as the dagger sank into his shoulder. He dropped Ryuji, who kicked him in the face and grabbed his hammer. Morgana pulled out the blade and flipped over the ogre, landing besides Ryuji, who held his now bruised arm and his ruined hammer. Iwai held Tentarafoo by the neck, claws digging in to the minotaur's neck, causing blood to trail down from the injuries.

"Unless you want me to snap his neck, you better leave." Iwai growled out, pupils turning into slits as he glared at the creatures.

Akira watched as they scrambled away, not wanting to deal with the angry dragon. He walked over to Ryuji as Iwai threw Tentarafoo on the ground, who also scrambled away in fright. Akira gently grabbed Ryuji's wrists and inspected the bruising on them, they were moderate but still needed to be dealt with. The hunter felt a growl rise up in his throat and he fought to keep it from being audible.

"Uh..." Ryuji's voice brought Akira's attention back to the present.

"Sorry." The black-haired hunter let go of the blond's wrists.

"..." Ryuji lifted up his hammer to inspect the damage. "Shit... they did a number on this... It's gonna take forever to fix this..."

Morgana handed the bracelet over to Akira, who slipped it back on after some hesitation.

"Iwai." The hunter spoke, gaining the attention of the dragon. "I'm taking you up on your offer."

"Good. Was hoping that you would." Iwai's body erupted into flames, they dissipated quickly revealing his true form.

Iwai's dragon form towered over the trio's forms and Ryuji leaps back in fright. Akira could make out the scars that the reptile had received from various fights. His black claws dug into the golden etched ground of the city, almost tearing the tiles. Iwai's long gray scaled tail curled around him in an attempt to keep it from destroying any buildings nearby. The dragon lowered his head and gestured to his back. Akira and Morgana climbed on with no hesitation, but Ryuji stalled as he took in the body of the dragon.

"What's the matter?" Morgana asked.

"Uh... What about Arsene?" Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't leave him behind."

"He's a hell horse, he can teleport practically anywhere." The werecat answered.

"...I've been riding of a hell horse...?"

"He's well behaved." Akira responded with a smile. "He won't take you to the underworld."

"Dude, don't say shit like that!" Ryuji looked over at Iwai before climbing up and settling next to Akira. "...hate heights..."

The hunter turned to him. "What?"

"I said-" Iwai took off with a mighty leap and a heavy beat of his wings. "I hate heights!"

Morgana laughed as Ryuji clung to Akira like he was a life preserver. The black-haired hunter flinched as he felt the blond's sharpened nails dig into his chest and fought down the mild blush that threaten to appear.

 _'Am... Am I falling for Ryuji?'  
_


	5. Chapter 5

Arid air harshly whipped at Akira's covered face as Iwai flew them high above the desert kingdom. Ryuji still clung to the black-haired hunter, but he had lessened his hold since the take off. Morgana sat calmly on the dragon's back, looking down at the various towns they passed. Iwai descended into the center of the city square and waited as they climbed off his back. Akira adjusted his robes as Ryuji let go, shadowed brown eyes taking in the lively desert city. Morgana jumped off with flare, landing on his feet and bowing as several residents clapped at his display. Akira rolled his eyes and wished Iwai farewell as he took off into the sky.

"So where are we?" Ryuji asked, following Akira and Morgana as they walked through the city.

"The central city of Pyramid." The werecat answered, waving as he passed a pair of feline ladies. "We're going to stay here for a day or two before taking off."

"We'll find someone to repair your weapon as well, Ryuji." Akira said.

Ryuji stopped a few feet away from the pair. "You… You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah. You're pretty good in a fight and you seemed pretty attached to it."

"But why? You're turnin' me in. Why repair my weapon and look after me?"

To be honest, Akira didn't have an answer for the blond. Somewhere throughout their travels, Akira had felt himself growing somewhat attached to the man. He wanted to know why, but he could tell Ryuji wasn't going to tell him the truth about the Castle Massacre until Akira fully gained the blond's trust. The hunter responded with a shrug and kept walking to the large pyramid palace that stretched high above the city. Ryuji grumbled and followed after, lest he be dragged by the bracelet. Akira approached the guards outside of the bright and colorful palace.

"Prince Akira, welcome back." The guards simultaneously bowed.

"Prince?" Ryuji asked as Akira and Morgana lead him into the main part of the palace. "You're a prince? I was caught by a prince?"

"Yep." Morgana looked back with a smile.

"So you didn't catch me for the money… What did catch me for?"

"You needed to justice." Akira responded, looking back at Ryuji "Although, now I'm not so sure about that…."

Ryuji opened his mouth, but snapped it shut as he took in the sight of the palace exterior. Water flowed freely from the river nearby and into the small marble banks that seemed to go around the royal residence. See through glass cubes served as the floor, every step the blond took set out streams of green and blue lights that stretched out towards the rest of the palace. Equally see through pillars stretched high above, glowing with faint lights of yellow and red. An expansive garden was set close by, various amount of greenery could be seen through the glass and Ryuji could catch bits and pieces of fairies flying around. They passed a couple of buildings and the blond questioned what could be in them. Akira cleared his throat, causing Ryuji's head to snap towards him.

"Enjoying the sights?"

"You live here?" The guards stationed at the massive golden and silver etched marble door opened the entrance for them.

"Yeah."

The throne room was decked floor to ceiling in the glass cubes, various amount of lights spiraled and twisted around in the six pillars in the room. The lights on the floor rapidly moved towards where the throne was. The throne was a golden hue with a red-yellow cushion set in the center.

"I don't see Futaba." Morgana said, looking around the room.

"Akira!" A voice cried out as a sphinx with long bright ginger hair, red rimmed headphones, and large black circular glasses ran into the room and tackled Akira. Her black and green tank tops stood out against her sandy colored fur and wings.

The hunter laughed as he landed on the ground and gave the sphinx a hug. "Hey Futaba."

Futaba smiled and leapt off the black-haired and flew up, hovering above the ground slightly before turning her attention to Morgana. The sphinx also tackled the werecat in the same manner and Ryuji backed up as they slid across the glass floor. Her mauve eyes locked onto Ryuji and she quickly hid herself behind Akira.

"Who's this?"

"Oh. This is-"

"Did I hear Akira just now?" A calm voice said from the hallway besides the throne.

"Inari!" Futaba called to the voice. "Come see who he brought home."

The sound of soft footsteps filled the room as a tall man with dark blue hair and dressed in a navy blue kimono with a back swirled sash walked into the room. A pair of beautiful light blue tipped white ears sat on top of his head and a set of equally beautiful and colored nine tails curled around him.

"Hello, Yusuke."

"Nice to see you returned safety, Akira." Yusuke smiled. "The same goes for you as well, Morgana."

Futaba pointed her wing at Ryuji. "When are you going to tell us about the other stray you collected?"

"Once I introduce him to everyone." Akira responded.

"Where are the others anyway?" Morgana peered down the hallway.

"They are in the botanical garden." Yusuke answered as he circled Ryuji, who leaned away from the kitsune.

"Yusuke, please." Akira directed the dark haired man away from the blond. "Let's go greet the others."

Futaba and the kitsune walked down the hallway Yusuke had appeared from with others following behind. Ryuji looked in awe at each passing room until they came into a room with a glass ceiling. Fancy golden chandeliers with lighting and fire orbs dangled from the ceiling as natural light drenched the room in warm rays. Lily pads of various shapes and sizes floated around lazily in the large pool. A multitude of flowers, ranging from bright to dark colored framed the edge of the water. A long haired light brown merman leaned against the railing, white and red tail flickering around in the water as he talked to a female fallen angel with fluffy light auburn hair. Her off white wings folded against her back as she readjusted her gray and black dress.

A short brown haired echidna with a tight black and white star top and white opened button shirt sat next to a blonde, curly pigtailed, long haired empusa with a black tank top and blue denim short shorts. The echidna's black, neon blue, and red tail curled behind the empusa as they talked to a fairy on one of the nearby lily pads. The black haired spell caster sat comfortably on the flowering plant, long white dress pooled around her legs while her multicolored sparrow tail wings slowly opened and closed. A dark blue haired faun sat on the side of the pool, black hooved feet dangling above the water as he laid in the sun. He scratched mindlessly at one of his broken curled horns before setting his hand back over his green and white vest.

"Akira's back!" Futaba yelled as she flew over and set herself on the largest lily pad in the center of the water.

All head and eyes turned to the trio in the doorway, Akira raised a hand in greeting. The others rushed over to meet him, although the empusa, fairy, and faun looked surprised to see Ryuji. The empusa tackled Ryuji to the ground.

"It seems they know one another." The merman spoke as he exited the water, white and red tail morphing into a pair of pale legs.

"Ann." Ryuji wheezed out. "Kinda hard to breath here."

"Sorry, sorry." The blonde let go. "What around are you doing here?"

"Uh…" Ryuji was quickly hugged by the fairy and faun. "Hey Shiho, Mishima… well-"

"I'll tell you later, Ann." Akira cut in. "Let me introduce everyone to him first."

Mishima and Shiho back up and glanced at Ryuji with worried and confused looks. Akira directed Ryuji over to the merman.

"Ryuji, this is Goro Akechi. You can just call him Akechi."

The light haired merman held out his hand with a smile. "Hello, Ryuji."

"Hi." The blond shook his hand, making sure to keep the Containment Bracelet hidden under the desert robes.

The fallen angel was next in the group. "This is Haru Okumura."

"Makoto Niijima." Akira gestured to the echidna. "You've met Yusuke and Futaba. You already seem to have a past with Shiho, Mishima, and Ann."

"Where are from, Ryuji-kun?" Haru asks.

"Uh…" The blond rubs the back of his head. "The port village near the edge of Cruiser Kingdom."

Akechi flinches slightly at the name while Ann pulls Akira aside with Mishima and Shiho following behind.

"Akira, you're turning Ryuji in, aren't you?" The empusa askes, forked tail flicking around.

"I-"

"Please don't turn him in." Shiho cut him off. "We owe him so much."

"We owe him our lives." Mishima added.

Akira looked between the three of them. "What do you mean by that?"

The faun and the fairy's eyes immediately fell to the ground and Ann pulled them close to her body with her wings.

"He hasn't told you?"

The hunter shakes his head. "I figured it'd be better not to ask, but…"

"But what?"

"When we stopped at Karyuu, he… he had scars all over his back. Burn and whip marks, some of them looked like branding scars…." Akira answered.

Mishima almost curls in on himself and Shiho holds tightly onto Ann. The blonde's wings practically engulf the pair of cowering creatures.

"I'll… I'll let Ryuji tell you about it himself. He's the one who made the decision after all…." Ann quietly replies.

Akira doesn't say anything further and directs his attention back towards the others. Ryuji is crouched down over the water's edge, brown eyes practically shining as he looked at Akechi's tail. He gently dragged his fingers over the white and red scales, feeling the somewhat bumpy surface of the beautiful bicolored tail.

"Have you never seen a merman before, Ryuji?" Akechi asks with a small smile.

"Nah." The blond retracts his hand. "I lived on the outskirts of the village, so if there were ever any Merman or mermaids, I never saw them."

"So why are you traveling with Akira-kun and Mona-chan?" Haru asked.

Chocolate eyes trail off towards the ground. "Uh… They needed my help with something. Old friends and all, I decided to help them."

Akira joined the other. "You know, he caught and killed a Harlen Dragon Quake."

Futaba flies over, mauve eyes wide with surprise. "Wow, really?"

Ryuji's eyes snapped over to Akira in a silent thanks. "Yeah. The thing was a bitch to kill, but I did it."

"How'd you kill it?"

"With-" He pauses, eyes becoming disheartened as he reaches for the hammer strapped to his back. "This…"Ryuji pulls out the hammer, showing the state of the weapon to everyone.

"Oh my!" Haru exclaims.

Makoto slithers forward, trying to get a better look at the weapon. "What happened to it?"

"Ah… ran into some trouble in Casino." Akira answers. "Got some help from Iwai before it got any worse. Think you can fix it, Yusuke, Futaba?"

Yusuke gingerly reaches for the warhammer, which Ryuji hesitantly hands over. The kitsune's tails wrap around the weapon and he inspects it, blue eyes taking in the design and muttering to himself.

Futaba hovers close to Yusuke. "What metal is it made of?"

"Chromium."

The sphinx hums her acknowledgment. "We'll give it to you tomorrow, fixed up and undentable."

"What-"

The pair leave the garden in a hurry and Ryuji almost takes off after them, only to stop as Akira's hand lands on shoulder.

"They'll be fine. Come on, we're getting something to eat. Then we're getting in the onsen."

"We're staying the night here?"

"Can't leave without your hammer, can we?"

* * *

Ryuji let out a sigh of content as he sunk into the massive tub of the onsen. Akira watched as the blond sank below the water before resurfacing and shaking the water from his hair. Mishima let out a noise of surprise and splashed Ryuji, who playfully glared at the faun. Akira smiled as the two got into a splash fight as Morgana settled next to him.

"Do you two still plan on turning him in?" Akechi asks.

Morgana sighs and sinks further into the warm water while Akira turns his attention to the merman.

"I can't give you an honest answer, Akechi." The hunter sighs. "From what Ann, Mishima, and Shiho said, I probably shouldn't."

"Then why continue?"

"He's gone along with everything we've done so far. What Kamoshida told me about him painted him as a cold blooded killer… but…"

"But?"

"He gave himself up before we reached the village, helped out with a couple of thieves we ran into along the way, and lent a hand to the elder couple as well. He's done all these things that paint him in a different light."

Akechi hummed, "Then why continue?"

Akira ran his fingers through his black hair. "He asked me to. That night at Karyuu, he told me why he did it, why he gave up so easily." Akira's eyes flick back over the blond, who is calmly sitting next to Mishima. "He said that he didn't want the village getting destroyed or someone going after his past."

"Hmm. He seems quite interesting."

"He is."

Morgana piped up. "He'd make a great addition to our group."

 _'If only.'_ Akira thought.

* * *

"Can I ask somethin'?"

Akira turns his head to see Ryuji situated by the window of his room. His body is turned so he can look out the window and at the black haired hunter on the bed opposite his. Ryuji's body is bathed in moonlight, giving him an almost heavenly glow.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you stay? Here, I mean."

Akira closes his eyes. "I don't like walls."


	6. Chapter 6

After a goodbye to the others and a repaired warhammer in hand; Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana left the desert kingdom and traveled southwest, landing themselves deep within Midnight Forest. Morgana stuck close to Akira in his panther form, making sure to not look like a target. Hardly anyone traveled through the forest, it was the werewolves' domain and they made it know frequently. Attacking any traveler dumb enough to trek through the perpetually dark forest. Yet, Akira and the others hand no choice; a heavy fire from a battle between imps and manticores had yet to die down, forcing them to travel into the quiet and deadly thicket. Dense foliage surrounded them from all sides and not a scrap of sunlight could be seen through the thick leaves of the trees. Akira ushered a newly returned Arsene along, gray eyes trained on the white bark of the changing trees for any signs of werewolves.

Ryuji had been acting antsy, his hood was up and every now and then, he'd stop and look off in a random direction as if he was surveying the area. Akira watched as the blond stopped once more and dragged his nails down his arms in a sign of discomfort. The hunter wished to comfort the blond, but stopped himself from doing so. Getting through this death trap of woodland was more important. He kicked at Arsene's signs, spurring the hell horse into a trot.

"Do you hear anything, Morgana?" Akira whispered to the werecat.

"No." the white footed panther replied. "Maybe they haven't-"

A howl sounded off nearby and Akira felt his blood run cold.

"Shit." He cursed and brought Arsene into a full gallop with Morgana running along side him. Akira looked back to see if Ryuji was following them, but the blond had disappeared. "Where's-"

Suddenly a large blue roan wolf leap out from a couple of purple, pink and white bushes nearby. Arsene reared up in fright, nearly throwing Akira off, while Morgana back up from the lycanthrope. The werewolf advanced on them, yellowish teeth barred in a snarl and drool dripping down its muzzle. Akira got off of Arsene, daggers drawn in self defense as the canine hybrid continued forward. It leapt at them, long, sharp claws outstretched in an attempt to kill. Akira braced himself for impact only to have the blue roan thrown to the ground by a larger black wolf. The hunter and werecat backed up as the lycanthropes wrestled on the moss covered ground.

The black wolf had its' jaws firmed clamped on the the blue roan's scruff, it shook the other canine around before throwing it heavily against a clump of trees. The blue roan slammed into the cluster, causing the bark to snap and break apart from the impact. The trees fell with a mighty thud as the lycanthrope shook its head, yellow eyes glaring daggers at its opponent. The wolves circled one another, both of them snarling at the other as they sized each other up. The blue roan made a quick dash at the black wolf, locking its jaws onto the other's foreleg and pulled hard. The black lycanthrope fell with a harsh thud just as the blue roan let go and sank its teeth into the dark colored canine's shoulder. The wolf yelped in pain and quickly got up, making a mad dash for one of the trees and slammed its captured shoulder against it.

The blue roan let go with a whimper and hobbled away, clearing valuing its life over an easy meal. The black wolf watched it disappear in the forest before turning its gaze over to Akira and Morgana.

"There's no way I'm fighting something that large." Morgana protested and back up slightly, only to be stopped by Akira. "What are you-"

"Look at it's foreleg." The hunter simply said.

Bright blue eyes honed in on the advancing werewolf, they grew wide as he spotted the Containment Bracelet. "No way..."

Akira stepped forward and brushed his hand against the wound the other werewolf had left. "Ryuji."

Ryuji huffed and pawed at the ground as the hunter pulled out a orange elixir from his bag. He whined in pain as Akira poured it over the wound, he reached back to lick at the injury as it healed.

"Why didn't you tell us you were a werewolf?" Morgan ask, slamming his muzzle into the black wolf's once he turned to face the panther.

Ryuji shoved him out of his face and rubbed at his nose, growling as brown eye glared down the werecat.

"I'm pretty sure he has a good reason, Morgana." Akira commented, climbing back on top of Arsene. "We need to keep going in case more show up."

But..." a sigh. "Fine. I was wondering why he smelt like dog to begin with."

Ryuji traveled on the other side of Akira as they continued trekking through the forest. They ran into several werewolves along the way, although they took one look at a growling Ryuji and decided it wasn't worth dying over. The sound of rushing water became louder as they neared an old suspension bridge. The platform swung to and fro in a mocking way, inviting them to try and walk across the broken and splinted wood. Akira got off of Arsene and carefully placed his foot on one of the boards; it creaked under the weight, but didn't give way.

"There's gotta be some other way." Morgana spoke, looking down and up the cliff side.

"I don't think there is, Morgana." Akira took another step. "We have to go this way if we want to get out."

Ryuji looked ready to pull the hunter back onto solid ground as the werecat let out a groan. Akira slowly lead Arsene along the old bridge, making sure not to keep the hell horse away from any holes. Morgana followed after, testing every board before stepping forward. Ryuji quietly tagged along, trying to stay within the marked distance of the bracelets. Akira took another step and the wood gave way, the hunter managed to get his footing back just as the wood under Morgana's paws snapped. The werecat let out a yowl and nearly plummeted into the raging water if not for Ryuji grabbing his tail. As the werewolf started to pull Morgana up, the ropes of the suspension bridge snapped and brought the four of them into a free fall before hitting the water with a loud splash.

Morgana clung onto the black lycanthrope as Arsene whinnied in fear, Akira had fallen a bit further upstream. He swam over to the flailing animals just as Ryuji threw Morgana over to one of the rocks sticking out of the water and grabbed a hold of Arsene's reins. The werewolf transformed back into his human form and directed Arsene over to one of the fallen trees. Morgana quickly made his way over to the soaked log and grabbed Arsene just as the rapid drug Ryuji under, dragging the blond further downstream.

"Ryuji!" Morgana cried.

Akira swam faster, praying to whatever god would listen that he'd reach the blond before he went too far. Ryuji resurface with a gasp only to be drug back under by a small waterfall. The blond bashed his head on one of the ragged rocks and fell falling unconscious, leaving a blood trail just as Akira grabbed him. The hunter resurfaced and held werewolf's head above the water. He could hear the faint sound of Morgana yelling out.

"Akira! The waterfall!"

Akira knew he wouldn't be able to get him and Ryuji to safety, so he held the blond close to his chest as the water took them over the edge. The hunter hit the quiet water below with a loud splash, he resurfaced a few seconds later and drug Ryuji to dry land. Akira listened for the blond's breathing before before CPR on him.

"Come on... Come on..." He stopped once Ryuji harshly coughed up water. "You okay?"

The werewolf nodded and leaned on him for support as he got his breathing under control. Akira held him close in an effort to warm him and Ryuji made no move to push him away.


	7. Chapter 7

Before they entered the city of Museum, Akira had quickly pulled up Ryuji's hood, startling the man out of his doze on the hunter's back. Morgana had quickly transformed back into his animal form and pulled a set of dark glassed goggles out of the pack on Arsene's side.

"Why'd you that?" Ryuji asked, making to pull up his hood only for the dark haired man to tug it back down. "Hey!"

Akira turned to face the werewolf and suppressed an affectionate look as he stared at the shadowed brown eyes. "The residents of Museum are attracted to bright things."

"Like gold?"

The hunter reached under the hood to mess with the blond's hair. "Like gold."

"….Oh."

"They nearly tore Morgana apart when we first arrived here." He jerked his head at the goggles wearing werecat. "They were saying stuff like 'Your eyes are so pretty' and 'How much do they cost?'" Akira felt a shiver course through the werewolf. "It was terrifying."

"And traumatic." Morgana reached for Arsene's reins. "The stallion and I can stay on the outskirts of town, Akira. You and Ryuji can go in alone."

Akira jumped off the hell horse and helped Ryuji down. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Call me if there's trouble."

"Same goes for you!" The werecat yelled as the pair entered the city.

Tightly packed buildings greeted the men as they walked through the brightly colored streets. Most of the people who passed them gave them dirty looks and whispered to one another in a snobby kind of way. Ryuji seemed to hunch further under the hushed talk and stares, Akira couldn't help but pull the blond closer to him.

"Are you going to do this every time?"

"Do you not like it?"

"I-I didn't say that!"

Akira let out a laugh as they entered the loud and busy marketplace. A multitude of stalls lined the edge of the streets, many of the vendors make loud claims as they try to gain the pairs attention. Each of the booths sold something different, from food to materials to art. A couple of the jewelry that one of the passing merchant had grabbed Ryuji's attention and he stopped to examine the wares. He picks up a silver anchor pendent with a ruby jewel in the middle of it, he's so transfixed by the necklace that he doesn't notice Akira standing beside him. Ryuji jumps as Akira hands the merchant the marks for the necklace. The hunter takes the pendent and puts it on the blond, who has averted his eyes and is blushing wildly.

They try and make their trip as quick as they can, not wanting to stay here any longer than needed. As Akira handed over some marks of silver to the fruit saleswoman, a set of creatures emerged from a nearby tavern. Ryuji looked over to them from the corner of his eye and froze.

"Akira…" The blond nudged the hunter. "We should go."

"We still have one more thing to get."

"Those asshole who broke my hammer are here."

Akira whips his head around to see them standing in front of the tavern, figuring out where to go next. The hunter quickly grasps the blond's wrists and makes his way further into the marketplace. They're about halfway in when a voice full of malicious intent rings out above the crowd.

"Hey, Joker!"

Akira doesn't need to know which one of them yelled as he and Ryuji break into a full run. The hunter can hear the sound of rapidly approaching hooves, he pulls out his daggers and twirls around, blocking the ax that comes rushing at his face. Akira's quickly losing the fight until Ryuji's warhammer slams into Tentarafoo's side, sending the minotaur flying into one of the stalls. The blond helps him to his feet only to get attacked by Kouga. Ryuji slams into the ground and brings up his hands fast to hold back the jaws that threaten to snap at his neck. The chimera tries to shake his mouth free from the werewolf's grasp, keeping the blond distracted enough not to notice the sneaking snake tail.

Akira stabs the snake tail before it has a chance to bite Ryuji and Kouga roars in pain. Ryuji kicks the in pain chimera off of him and gets up, hand clasped around the handle of the weapon. Kouga rolls away and nurses his injured tail as Megidolaon runs towards the pair, brass knuckles raised and eyes narrowed at them. Akira waits until the ogre is close enough before jumping over him, hands slamming down the head of the creature just as Ryuji swung the hammer up. Megidolaon falls backwards, teeth flying from his underbite and landing on the ground as Ryuji jumps over him. Akira and Ryuji break into a run, dodging residents as they try to make a break towards the city gates. Freila jumps from their hand place and lands squarely on Ryuji's back, the blond uses the flat end of his hammer to throw off the human.

Freila pulls the blond's hood off before landing on the ground, knocking themselves out in the process. Akira feels time stop as all the residents eyes snap towards the uncovered blond. Ryuji's chocolate covered eyes widen as he backs away from the approaching citizens.

"Akira?" Ryuji frantically looks over to the frozen hunter.

"Gold…"

"Such a beautiful color…"

"How much for it…"

"I'd kill for that beauty…"

Akira quickly grabs Ryuji's hand and they continue their mad dash towards the gate. The sound of the residents' footsteps grow closer no matter how fast the pair runs ahead.

"Gold…"

"Such a beautiful color…"

"How much for it…"

"I'd kill for that beauty…"

"Grab him. Something that bright and colorful shall be mine."

They're almost at the gate and Akira can see Morgana and Arsene waiting for them. Ryuji suddenly lets out a choking noise and is ripped out of Akira's grasp. The hunter stops and turns to see a rope around the werewolf's neck, the blond's being dragged backwards into the practically zombiefied crowd. Ryuji chokes as he struggles to get the rope off, brown eyes flickering frantically up at his impending down. Akira rushes towards him just as Arsene materialized in front of the crowd. The hell horse rears up and slams his hooves into the ground, cracking it and causing sparks fly out as he whinnies threateningly at the residents. The citizens back up, not wanting to deal with the stallion as Akira pulls out his dagger and cuts the rope.

The hunter hauls Ryuji up and pulls the trembling body close to him. He whistles for Arsene and grabs onto the hell horse's neck as he runs pass, not once letting the blond go in the process. Morgana runs alongside the stallion as they leave the city and Akira doesn't look back, too focused on the still shaking blond and the road ahead of them. They continue until night falls and they make camp of the outskirts of the central city of Castle Kingdom. Akira sets the fire and settles in front of it, leaning back as he uses the asleep Morgana for support. Ryuji sits across from him, staring at the fire with knees pulled up to his chest as he leans against the sitting and grazing Arsene.

"Ryu-"

"These scars… Do you want to know the truth… of what caused them?"

Akira's voice fell short as he stares at the werewolf. "….Only if you think I'm ready to hear it."

"Heh." Ryuji lets out a quiet, unsettling, short laugh. "I trust you."

"Then yes."

"I was young when it happened. Thirteen, or whatever, when my dad sold me to Kamoshida."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Description of Torture and implied non-con ahead**_

* * *

"My dad was a drunkard, spending my mom's every cent on booze and whatever else he could get his hands on. On the days he wasn't drunk, he'd beat me and my mom. Eventually, it got to the point where ma wasn't makin' any more money and he learned if you gave a servant to Kamoshida, you'd get money. So… you can figure it out from there. Kamoshida didn't do much at first, just had me haul shit from point A to point B for six years. He had servants come and go, but he got new ones every month. Didn't think too much into it until I was targeted."

Ryuji gripped his shoulders, eyes staring mindlessly into the fire. "He broke my leg to keep me from runnin' as he pulled me down into a blood covered dungeon. He… He…"

Akira moves from his spot and settles next to Ryuji, he pulls him close and places his forehead on the crown of the blond's head.

Ryuji trembles and takes a deep breath. "He branded me…" He moves to take off his hooded vest, showing the hunter the myriad of scars. "Constantly… and in the same spot."

Akira didn't look away, hand slowly reaching out to gently place a hand on the nearly healed KS mark on Ryuji's shoulder. The werewolf flinched slightly and the hunter quickly said his apologies and retracted his hand.

"He didn't make an attempt to fix me leg until the break became noticeable. Even then, he hired a cheap healer to fix it, so it was never properly fixed. Every couple of days, he'd drag me down to get tortured. Each time it was somethin' new: burning, scalding, whipped… you name it, he did it." Ryuji put his vest back on. "There was a point where I blacked out durin' one of the sessions and woke up, strapped to the table and being… cut open…" He placed a hand on his clothed stomach. "It felt strange, seein' some of my organs out on display… and… feeling them dig around in my body. I screamed and I didn't stop until I was knocked back out."

Akira felt sick as he listened and Ryuji placed his hand over his mouth as if he was remembering it.

"I don't remember exactly when Ann, Shiho, and Mishima showed up, what I can remember is that Kamoshida had set his sights on Shiho and Ann. I didn't like the look he was giving them, so…I-I offered myself up instead, so that he wouldn't touch them..."

Akira felt bile rise in his throat as he stared at the blond. "Ryuji… Did you…"

"Yeah," He answers in a quiet voice. "I did. The girls shouldn't have to go through it and I was already damaged." Ryuji leans on him. "A month or three passed before he got bored of me and focused back on Shiho and Ann. I told them what Kamoshida planned on doin' and I got them out before it could happened, but I got caught in the process of comin' back. He strapped me down and practically grilled me alive as punishment, makin' a show of it by forcin' the others to watch. He used me as an example of what should happen in case anyone stood up against him."

"I blacked out and when I came to, Mishima was cleanin' and healin' my wounds. He started sayin' how he wished he had helped me. I couldn't move for days after that, confined to the room where only Mishima visited me." Ryuji focuses his eyes back towards the fire. "I later found out that Mishima had been takin' some of the tortures meant for me."

"What… what happened the night of?"

"I was barely able to get up when Mishima came back with a bloody broken horn. He collapsed in pain and that's when I decided to lead everyone out to freedom. I waited until night and gathered up everyone up, they left quickly after hearin' what I had to say. I was helpin' Mishima out when I was spotted by the shitty guards." The werewolf placed his forehead on his knees. "I acted as the decoy and lead them faraway from everyone. That piece of shit sent every guard he had at me, tellin' them to bring me back alive." Ryuji jerks his head in the vague direction of where Midnight Forest was.

"They chased me until I collapsed from my leg giving out. Just as they grabbed me, we were attacked by the werewolves. They ripped the guards to pieces and I was nearly mauled by one of the larger of the pack. It bit my leg, nearly rebreakin' it and dragged me back towards where the others of its pack were waitin'. I… I managed to get away after pickin' up one of the weapons and stabbin' the wolf. I dragged myself to the river and took that all the way to the outskirts of the port village." Ryuj sighed. "And you already know the rest… I found out later from Tomoe that that bite I got had turned me into a werewolf."

By now, Akira was staring at the werewolf with a visibly sick expression. Ryuji looked over at him and rubbed the back of his head.

"I… excluded some parts of the torture… figured that you wouldn't be able to stomach it… Hell, I'm still not able to stomach it."

"Oh, Ryuji. I-I-"

"Don't start with the 'I'm sorry' bullshit. None of this was your fault. That's just the way the world is at times…"

"Ryuji, I can't continue with this..."

"What? Why not?"

"I just can't. You went through literal hell and I'm about to throw you back in!"

"It's to protect everyone! If you don't turn me in, who knows who he'll hire next!?" Ryuji glares at him. "I don't want someone to attack the village or find my mom or worse, capture the others!" The blond grabs Akira's collar and pulls him so their noses are pressed together. "I won't have Ann, Shiho, or Mishima thrown back into that life."

Akira blinks as he stares at angry brown. "Be selfish for once, Ryuji. Your safety has been my top priority throughout this entire journey."

"Only because you wanted the money."

"I'm a prince!" Akira pins Ryuji down to the ground and glares at him. "Why would I need the money?!"

"Then why did you take the job!?"

"Because I wanted to bring you to justice at first, but I-"

"But you what?"

"I-I saw the real you." He answers softly and let go of the blond's wrists. "All those fabricated lies Kamoshida told me fell apart as I watched you fight those thieves and interact with Morgana and Arsene. Shiho... Shiho begged me not to turn you in. Mishima said that they owned you their lives. I didn't press you about your scars because Ann said to let you do that." Akira bowed his head and pressed it to Ryuji's forehead. "I fell for you, so please, Ryuji… live. Don't throw your life away."

"But-"

"Please live for them."

"…"

 _"Please."_

"Akira." A hiccup sob came from under the hunter. "I don't wanna die… Please, don't let him kill me."

"I won't." Akira held the sobbing werewolf close. "I won't."


	9. Chapter 9

"Well isn't this a lovely sight."

Akira bolted awake and gray eyes snapped up the shadow above him and Ryuji. The blond had started to stir and froze upon seeing who was above him. Ryuji scrambled behind Akira as the hunter stood up, coming face to face with Kamoshida. Morgana and Arsene were up as well; the werecat was in his human form and the pair were glaring at the men the lord had brought with him as they surrounded the small group. Ryuji stood in the middle with a death grip on Akira's jacket and his head bowed. Akira glared heavily at Kamoshida as the werewolf's body shook.

"I didn't think you'd actually find him." The lord smirked, trying to look pass the hunter to the guarded blond. "I guess you are what they really say you are." He waved over one of his men and grabbed a large sack from the side of the guards' horse. "Here's your reward, now hand over Sakamoto."

Akira batted the sack away, causing gold and jewels to fly about before landing on the ground. "I don't want your money, Kamoshida, not after everything you did to Ryuji. I'm surprised your people haven't revolted against you."

"You'd really believe a word of what Sakamoto said?"

"He showed me the scars." Akira growled. "I'm not letting you have Ryuji and if I have to start a war between our kingdoms just to protect him, I will."

Kamoshida looked infuriated as he glared at Akira. The two didn't move an inch, air growing tense around them. Kamoshida's men moved closer and Morgana unsheathed his scimitar, glaring heavily at the approaching guards while Arsene's mane started glowing red-orange.

"You won't get to see the end result."

Akira was about to counter with words of his own until pain exploded from his side. He looked down to see that Kamoshida had plunged a dagger into his stomach. He fell to the ground as the lord pulled the concealed weapon free.

"Akira!" He heard Ryuji and Morgana cry out.

Akira clutched the wound, glaring up helplessly as Kamoshida grabbed Ryuji and threw him to where some of his men were. Morgana made a move to follow only to have a trio of guards surround him and point their swords at him.

"Ryuji!"

Ryuji scrambled to get up, only to have shackles slapped onto his wrists and neck. Akira knew he wouldn't be able to get the scream the blond had let loose out of his head. He watched as Ryuji fell to the ground, hands flying up to tug at the metal band covering his neck, only to his arms pulled away by two of the guards. The blond withered, shaking his head to and fro as blue and yellow steam rose from the shackles and collar.

"What… did you do… to him…?" Akira pathetically growled out.

"Wolfsbane infused shackles and collar." Kamoshida smirked. "A little birdy told me that Sakamoto had become a werewolf."

"You… sadistic fuck…"

"I've been called worse." Kamoshida kicked him over onto his back and slammed the heel of his boot into the wound.

Akira let loose a scream and gripped the boot, trying to throw him off despite his strength weakening. Kamoshida leaned down, hovering above the dark-haired hunter.

"The knife is drenched in basilisk poison. It seems like Pyramid lost a prince." With that, the lord plunges the knife square into Akira's chest.

Akira doesn't even make a noise as Kamoshida gets off of him, leaving the dagger in his chest. Morgana rushes over to him and removes the bladed weapon, swiftly pressing his hands over the wound as he stares helplessly as Kamoshida drags a screaming Ryuji away.

"No!"

It's hot…

"Akira!" Ryuji fights against his restraints.

My vision…

"Akira!" Kamoshida pulls him back.

…It's going black…

"Akira!" Ryuji's cries are growing fainter.

It hurts…

"Akira!" The hunter can hardly hear the blond anymore.

Ryuji…

 **"Akira!"**

I'm sorry…

Darkness engulfs Akira's vision as he faints, uttering Ryuji name just as the screams can no longer be heard.

* * *

Akira slowly comes to, eyes blankly staring straight up into the evening sky. Something rustles to his left and the hunter slowly turns his head towards the sound. Morgana's sitting by a fire, a multitude of herbs and bandages are next to the werecat. Arsene sits close by; head turned towards the direction Ryuji was last seen. There's a pair of discarded bowls nearby, a light blue liquid slowly dripped down the side of them. Akira slowly looked down, his gray collared shirt was discarded and a set of crisp bandages replaced it. The wounds on his side and chest have been taken care off.

He makes to get up, alerting both of his companions in doing so. Morgana quickly moves over to his side as Arsene gets up to join his rider. The werecat gently pushes Akira back down to the ground.

"The poison hasn't fully left your body yet." He says as Akira looks around.

"Ryuji."

"…Gone…" Morgana looks down to the floor. "After I gave you some elixirs, I took off after Kamoshida, but…"

"But?"

"He had the rest of the city heavily guarded. I couldn't get close enough without getting spotted and shot at. I'm sorry, Akira."

Akira laid his head back down and placed his hand over his eyes. He could still hear Ryuji screaming his name in desperation. The hunter makes to get up once more and this time, Morgana doesn't stop him. He takes one of the green elixirs and downs it all in one gulp before standing up and grabbing Arsene's reins. Morgana wordlessly joins him and the hell horse breaks off into a full gallop. The trio takes off quickly across the plains, Akira snapping the reins every so often to spur Arsene faster. Night falls as they reach the gates of the central city.

Morgana jumps off and helps Akira down from the saddle; he had to catch him as the hunter nearly collapsed once he touched the ground.

"How are we getting in?" Akira pants out.

"I scouted around and found a tunnel that seems to lead under the city." Morgana helps him over to the grass covered tunnel and lifts up the top. "I just don't know if it leads into the castle or not."

"We'll have to take that gamble." Akira grits his teeth and jumps down into the underpass.

Morgana follows after him, quietly and slowly closing the lid. They quietly walked down the secluded and fowl smelling tunnel. Akira held his side as he trekked the stone path, panting along the way. Morgana said nothing as he walked alongside him, bright blue eyes easily adjusting to the darkness.

"Morgana."

"Yeah?"

"How much did you hear last night?"

"…All of it." The werecat directs him to the right. "I should've picked up on it earlier in the journey, but I just assumed it was because he got caught.

Akira falls quiet after that as Morgana leads them through a few more turns. The hunter nearly bumps into the werecat as he suddenly stops.

"I think this is it." Morgana pushes up and the sound of stone scrapping fills the air.

The black-haired man jumps up out of the hole before lowering his hand for Akira to grab. The hunter gets lifted up into the room and almost gags as the smell blood and burning flesh seeps into his lungs. Akira's eyes grow wide as he takes in room and Morgana slides the stone back into place. Dried blood covers the grimy looking floor of the lit chamber. Various instruments of torture are placed around the large room, ranging from small and disturbing to large and deadly. Dried blood also coats some of the devices, but Akira doesn't stay to find out what else is in the room. He makes a beeline for the door and opens it as slowly as he can before stepping out of the room upon seeing no guards, Morgana follows after.

They make fast tracks past the various rooms, trying to find where Kamoshida is in the maze of a palace. Akira rounds the corner, only to be to pulled back by Morgana as a pair of guards appear down the hallway.

"Shame that Lord Kamoshida got rid of Sakamoto."

"Yeah, but did you see how dead he was once the lord got him back?"

"I wonder what happened…"

Another guard joins the walking duo.

"It's too bad we didn't get a round with him."

"No one got a round with him before Lord Kamoshida sold him off."

"I know, but come on." The third guard smiles a lewd smile. "He's grown over the year he escaped; I would've liked to see just how much he changed."

Akira's vision goes red and he attacks the guard with Morgana helping take out the other two.

"Where's Kamoshida?" The hunter holds the guard up and slams him against the wall.

"How did-"

Akira punches him. "Answer me."

"O-office. Third door to the left."

The hunter lets the man and starts down the hall.

"You're going far out of your way for some whore, you know!"

The punch that Morgana and Akira delivers knocks the man out cold and the pair continue on their way. Akira slams open the office doors open, starling Kamoshida as he turns in his chair to glare at the intruders. Morgana closes and locks the door behind him as Akira advances towards the lord. Kamoshida makes to get up, only to have Akira's daggers pin his hands to the desk. The lord opens his mouth to scream in pain and the hunter slams his hand over his mouth and pushes him back down into the chair.

"Where is he." Akira demands in a low voice.

Kamoshida wretches his head out of the hunter's grip. "Why should I tell you?"

Akira pushes down on the daggers, sending them further into the lord's hands.

"He's not here!"

"I can fucking see that. Who did you sell him to?"

"…"

Another push.

"Kaneshiro! I sold him to Kaneshiro! He's in the werewolf fighting ring!"

Akira removes the daggers and grabs Ryuji's discarded warhammer from the side of the desk.

"You know." Akira stops. "This is where he offered himself up, right on this desk. He tried to muffle his sounds but they came through anyway. I sold him because he was damaged goods and you're supposed to get rid of dam-"

Kamoshida doesn't finish as Akira slits his throat with lighting fast speed. The lord's hands fly up to his throat and he stares wide eyed at a stoic Akira. Kamoshida makes a few gurgling noises before falling face first onto his desk, dead still. Akira exits the room with Morgana and makes his way towards the front of the castle where Arsene has teleported in. Akira climbs on with the werecat and they leave the palace, making a beeline for Bank Kingdom.


	10. Chapter 10

Akira spurs Arsene into a gallop for the entirety of the trip to Bank, turning a normally six day journey into two. They reach the gates of the rich city where Akira and Morgana dismount from the stallion. After a quick question from a passing bounty hunter; the pair made fast tracks towards the entrance of the underground tunnels. Crystal incased lightning orbs lit the way as the hunters descended into the subterranean market. The hidden marketplace was noisy and crowded as the pair reaches the last set of stairs. The underground tunnels are surprisingly well kept despite the heavy amount of foot traffic. A small river cuts the marketplace in half, the riverbed is littered with crystal covered fire orbs and lighting orbs.

Akira leaned against the wall, holding his bleeding side as gray eyes quickly switching from stall to stall in search of some sort of clue to the fighting ring. Morgana climbs up the brick wall, claws latching on tightly as he searches the crowd.

"See anything?"

"No. This place is-"

"Are you two looking from something?"

Both of them snap their heads towards the voice. A long hooded robed figure stares at both of them, yellow eyes gleaming from under the hood. Morgana mutters something about unease as Akira responds.

"We're looking for a werewolf fighting ring."

Yellow eyes narrow. "Spectators?"

"Rescuing someone I love."

The figure jerks its head towards the very far end of the tunnel. "May whatever god you believe in have mercy on your lovers' soul. I hope they're not the one on the ring."

With that, the figure leaves just as Akira and Morgana take off in that direction. They push through the crown and ignore the insults that are hurled at them. They reach the outside of the stone walled fighting ring and Akira pushes open the heavy metal doors. He is greeted by the sounds of defeating cheers and the smell of blood as Morgana joins his side. A caged wall encases the arena as men and woman of various species lean or hold onto the bars, yelling wildly as a fight from inside the cage goes on. Akira can't see through the massive crowd gathered around the ground floor.

"Akira!"

Akira looks over to see Morgana waving at him from the stair case nearby. The hunter quickly follows, practically leaping up the stairs with haste. The upper floor is less of a mess and less crowded as elevated stands are set against the wall. Kaneshiro watches from his spot in the center of the stands, guards placed on either side of him. Akira glares at him while he clutches his blood soaked side and takes a few deep breaths. Morgana moves past him and peers over the side of the railing. Akira joins after a few moments and his eyes grow wide as a larger white wolf throws Ryuji into the blood soaked caged wall. The white wolf's muzzle is covered in blood and it advances towards the unmoving black canine. Deep wounds litter the werewolf's black pelt as Ryuji's eyes stare blankly at his attacker, making no move to get up.

"Why isn't he getting up?" Akira's voice is nearly drowned out by the yelling.

Morgana responds, pressing close against the hunter as he speaks. "Last time he saw you, you were bleeding and he was being dragged away." Blue eyes move from the dark haired hunter back towards the ring. "He probably thinks you're dead."

Akira feels his heart sink as Ryuji is grabbed by his bad leg and is dragged across the ground. The white wolf heaves him up and slams him into the ground.

"Ryuji!" Akira yells out, hoping to gain the black werewolf's attention. "Ryuji!"

Brown eyes blink before moving over to where he heard his name. They widen upon spotting the hunters and he struggles out from under the larger wolf.

"Oh, now he fights back." Akira can hear the calm voice of Kaneshiro above the noise. "He was practically dead for three days. Maybe now we can get a proper slaughter and move onto the other fights."

Akira glares heavily at the king as Ryuji gets to his paws, struggling to stand up under the weight of his wounds. The white lycanthrope rushes forward and Ryuji quickly moves, but soon falls to the ground as he lands wrong on his bad leg. The white wolf doesn't hesitate and clamps its jaws over the black werewolf's neck in a vice grip. Brown eyes go wide just as the wolf tears a chunk out of Ryuji's throat. The crown cheers louder, drowning out Akira and Morgana's yelling. The hunter jumps down, lands in the ring, and rushes at the larger canine. Akira pulls out his daggers and sinks them into the white wolf's back as he jumps on them.

The lycanthropes howls out in pain and drops Ryuji's body in favor of trying to shake Akira off. The hunter ignores the cheers and excited yelling as he tightens his grip. Ryuji's breathing heavy, watching them fight from his spot on the ground. The white wolf bucks Akira off, sending him to the ground, and shakes the daggers out of his pelt before jumps the fallen hunter. Akira brings up his arms to block the attack, swallowing down a scream as the wolf's teeth sink into his forearms. The white werewolf increases the pressure, trying to break the hunter's arms as chants ripple through the air. Akira's eyes flick upwards, trying to find Morgana through the crowd only to find the werecat missing.

Akira can feel his arms breaking under the increase pressure and he feels helpless. Ryuji's dying and the hunter is about to join him, both dying or soon to the larger alpha above him. Suddenly, a black blur lands on the white wolf's back and rears the larger canine back off of the hunter. Akira watches as Ryuji digs his teeth and claws into the white lycanthrope's neck and snaps the canine's neck, killing it. The werewolf falls bonelessly to the ground and Ryuji lands on his back, transforming back into his human form just as Akira rushes over to him. The hunter takes off his trench coat and presses it against Ryuji's neck as the crowd boos. Akira glares at the spectators, seeing how none of them call for a cleric.

Kaneshiro leans over the railing from above, eyes narrowing as gray eyes lock onto the king. He opens his mouth to speak just as a trio of werewolves jumps the ruler. The crowd stares in horror as the canines start tearing Kaneshiro apart, filling the air with yells coming from the king. The crowd starts panicking as more werewolves pour out from all over, each of them jumping the closest person to them. The air fills with screams of pains as Morgana jumps down from the railing and rushes over to Akira and Ryuji. The blond quietly places his hand on top of Akira's, slowly gripping the blood covered hand.

"S…"

"Save your breath, Ryuji, please." Akira pleads.

The blond tries again. "S…af….e."

"What is he-"

"Safe. He's asking if I'm safe." Akira increases the pressure as more blood gets soaked into the dark fabric. "I'm safe. You killed them."

Ryuji lets out a choking laugh, causing him to cough up blood and having it trickle from his mouth. His grip on Akira's hand goes slack before falling to the side, his eyes closing just as the hand hits the ground.

Akira feels the world end as he stares down at the blond. "Ryuji? Ryuji! Ryuji, please! Open your eyes!" The hunter places his forehead against the body. "Please…"

Akira feels tears fall and the surrounding noise becomes static in his mind. He misses Morgana digging into his pack for something until he feels the instant effects of a teleport orb. Suddenly, the dirty blood covered ground morphs into the glass floor of Pyramid's throne room.

"Akira!? Morgana!? Why are you-"

"Ryuji?!"

"Someone get a cleric, quickly!"

* * *

"Move!"

Evening desert air harshly whipped Akira in the face as he and Morgana chased a manticore down the street and into the marketplace, people looked towards the voice before quickly moving out of their path.

"Why do they have to run?" Morgana whines as he jumps over a thrown box of multicolored fabric.

Akira can't help but agree with the werecat as he ducks under another thrown box. The manticore runs further ahead and the dark haired hunter fears that they'll lose the beast until he spots Arsene and a hooded figure walking up the street. The figure was juggling an apple, eyes covered by their hood as they walked alongside the hell horse. Akira can't hide the smile that shows on his face.

"Hey!" Morgana yells out, apparently he's noticed the figure as well. "Get Titanomachia!"

The manticore looks back at the hunters, missing the figure wigging an arm out from its pocket after giving the remainder of the apple to Arsene. Titanomachia lets out a surprise sound as the figure grabs it by its neck and slams it down onto the sandy street, causing dust to fly up into the air. Akira and Morgana catch up as the figure throws off its hood. Morgana takes Titanomachia as Akira helps up the person up after they shake the sand from their gray sailor pants.

Akira smiles and nudges the person. "Not so bad for your first catch, Ryuji."

Ryuji looks at him and rubs at the back of his neck, jostling the ruby anchor pendent and shading the mangled mess of scars on his neck. Akira chuckles and pulls the blond close, he moves in for a kiss only to have hands cover his mouth.

"Dude." Ryuji mildly growls, face turning slightly red as his eyes shift away. "We're in public."

"And?" Comes Akira's muffled response.

Nearby, a group of women spot them and giggle at Akira's attempt at kissing the blond.

"Seems the prince has flustered his love once again."

"Lucky. He gets to have Prince Akira's undying love."

Ryuji's face gets darker as Akira lets loose a laugh, burying his face in the warm shoulder before him. They walk back to the castle with Arsene following them; Morgana catches up with them as they pass by the bounty hunter tavern. Night falls as they enter the palace and Arsene departs for the stable while Morgana walks towards the garden. The pair makes their way into the palace, passing Ann and Futaba on their way to Akira's room. The women make kissing noises at the men, causing Ryuji's face to redden and snap at them while Akira gives a smile and pulls the werewolf closer to him. The blond mutters under his breath as the hunter bides the ladies goodnight. Akira opens the door to his bed room and Ryuji strolls in, setting his weapon besides Yusuke's katana, Akechi's saber, and Mishima's lance.

Akira turns on the lights, casting the room in a warm glow and sets his weapons next to the others. The off white of the walls is barely visible under the amount of paintings hanging on the wall. On one side of the massive bedroom sits an easel near one of the windows, paints and brushes put up neatly in the cupboard under the windowsill. On the other side, a trio of large bookcases is pressed up against the wall. Besides the cases, a mahogany desk sits, facing them with papers scattered across the smooth and polished surface. On the floor in front of the fireplace, lay tools and other helpful looking knick knacks with a polishing and sharpening stone sitting among them. An extra-large bed sits on a mahogany bed frame that's pressed up against the back wall, on the mattress lay white sheets and a dark brown comforter.

At the foot of the bed, an equally extra-large mahogany dresser stood against the edge of the footboard. Above the bed, the bones of a _Harlen Dragon Quake_ and a picture attached to it were mounted on the wall. In the center of the room, a polished mahogany table sits between pair of dark colored couches. Ryuji walks over to one of the curtained widows and unlocks the doors; he opens balcony doors causing the room to be filled with the cold air. He steps out and leans against the railing; Akira follows him and stands beside him. Together, they look up towards the beautiful night sky above.

The normally dark sky is filled with stars of varying sizes and brightness; there are long streaks of blue and splashes of white among them. Ryuji leans on Akira, who wraps an arm around him in response.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"I didn't get my kiss from earlier."

Ryuji moves away and levels the fluffy haired hunter with a soft glare, Akira just smiles and points at his lips. The blond sighs before giving the prince a kiss, said prince wraps his arms around the werewolf's waist and brings him closer to deepen the kiss. In the end, despite everything the pair had faced, Akira was glad he met Ryuji.


End file.
